Dave Clawson Recaps Liberty, Looks Ahead to Clemson
After Saturday’s comeback win over Liberty, Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Clawson was surprised. Not because the team won, but because they were treating it like a loss.
“On Sunday, the team was down,” Clawson said today in his weekly press conference. “They were walking around here like we lost. Could we have played better? Yes, but we won. We’re not going to hang our heads and be all depressed after finding a way to win a game. Winning is too hard.”
“We have high standards and we didn’t play up to those standards,” he continued. “I always dreamt of the day my team could play poorly and win, and my dreams came true. We played poorly and we won, and I think that’s a sign of a good team.”
Just because Clawson was pleased to leave Truist Field still undefeated doesn’t mean that the mistakes weren’t there. On defense, the Deacs were sloppy at times, missing tackles and straying from assignments in key moments.
“It was missed tackles,” Clawson said. “We played good defense up until the third quarter, but then we brought a “Zero Blitz” [no deep defenders on heavy pass rush] and missed the tackle. That’s always going to be a touchdown. Then they ran a split zone [one blocker covers the backside against play], and we misread it and missed two tackles. Then there was the one long touchdown — we had a guy in coverage slip and fall. Those three plays right there are 21 points. We can't give up the big plays.”
Offensively, Clawson expressed the desire for his team to play a full four quarters of dominant football.
“We have to be more consistent,” he said. “We have to be more balanced. We did not do a good job running the football. We need to do a better job early in games in the red zone. The offense got down there and were kicking field goals. We scored every time we got to the red zone, but we need touchdowns, or else we are not going to win games.”
As for quarterback Sam Hartman, who gave himself a “D” grade after the game, Clawson believes he got the job done. Could he have played better? Sure, but he put Wake Forest in the position to steal a win back from the jaws of defeat.
“He was the winning quarterback,” Clawson said. “The quarterback’s job is to help the team win the game. When we were behind in the fourth quarter, [Sam] threw an absolute perfect ball to Ke’Shawn Williams. He hit Jahmal Banks for a touchdown in the back corner of the end zone. Sam made some really big throws at the end and won us the game.”
Looking ahead to Clemson, Wake Forest knows the magnitude of the test that awaits.
READ MORE: Wake Forest vs Clemson Series History
“Sometimes you go into a week and you have to try and convince your players that the opponent is good,” Clawson said. “We don't have to do that this week. This is the most talented football team we play. They're very well coached in all aspects. They’ve won double-digit games for a decade. They've been the best program in the ACC.”
On offense, questions linger about Wake Forest’s ability to run the ball effectively against Clemson’s vaunted defensive line. In last year’s loss to the Tigers, the Deacs gained just 81 yards on the ground, and Hartman was sacked eight times for 33 yards. Clawson recognized the need to address that this week.
“Sometimes, it’s going to be crowded [in the box], it’s going to be a scene,” he said. “We have to get north and south. The amount of times we were 2nd-and-13, that cost us half of our drives. Let’s get to 2nd-and-7.”
That also means Wake will have to throw the ball and trust that their receivers will make plays.
“The nature of football is to load up the box and dare you to throw it,” Clawson said. “Philosophically, teams will stack the box, and you have to be able to make the big plays.”
On defense, the Deacs will need to rely on their own ability in the box.
“Our defensive line, the effort that those guys play with has been outstanding,” Clawson said. Every week I can show seven or eight clips of effort hustle plays by Kobie Turner. He's just relentless. Tyler Williams is having a much better year. Dion Bergan made two or three huge plays. I think our D-Line is playing really hard.”
Clawson has been in this situation — getting ready to face Clemson — for nearly a decade. It hasn’t gone Wake’s way yet, but the team is ready to turn the tide this season.
“We know it's a game that we haven't played well,” Clawson said. “So I just want our team to go out on Saturday and play to the level that we're capable of. We’ve been one of the better teams in the ACC over the past six years. This is one of the better teams we've had. We know they're talented, we know they're gifted. But, if you're a good player, a competitor, you look forward to games of this magnitude.”
READ MORE: ACC Football Power Rankings Week 4
The Deacs will kick off their bid of unseating Clemson at 12pm on Saturday.
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Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.